I've known my husband; yet my husband knows not, That ever he knew me. Lucio. He was drunk then, my lord it can be no better. Duke. For the benefit of filence, would thou wert fo too. Lucio. Well, my lord. Duke. This is no witnefs for lord Angelo. She, that accufes him of fornication, Ang. Charges fhe more than me? Mari. Not that I know. Duke. No? you fay, your husband. [To Mariana. Mari. Why, juft, my lord, and that is Angelo; Who thinks, he knows, that he ne'er knew my body; But knows, he thinks, that he knows Ifabel's. Ang. This is a strange abuse-Let's fee thy face. Mari. My husband bids me; now I will unmask. [Unveiling. This is that face, thou cruel Angelo, Which, once thou fwor'ft, was worth the looking on: And did fupply thee at thy garden-house Duke. Know you this woman? Lucio. Carnally, fhe fays. Duke. Sirrah, no more. Lucio. Enough, my lord. Ang. My lord, I must confefs, I know this woman; Abufe ftands in this place for deception, or puzzle. So in Macbeth, this frange and felf abule, means this frange deception of bimfelf. And five years fince there was fome fpeech of mar rfage Betwixt my.elf and her; which was broke off. I never fpake with her, faw her, nor heard from her, Mari. Noble Prince, As there comes light from heav'n, and words from breath, As there is fenfe in truth, and truth in virtue, I am affianc'd this man's wife, as ftrongly As words could make up vows; and, my good lord, He knew me as a wife. As this is true, A marble monument ! Ang. I did but fmile 'till now. Now, good my lord, give me the fcope of justice; But inftruments of fome more mightier member, Duke. Ay, with my heart; 9 -her promised proportions Came fhort of compofition; -] Her fortune which was promifed proportionate to mine, fell fhort of the compofition, that is, contract or bargain. Thefe poor informal women.] i. e. women who have ill concerted their story. Formal fignifies frequently, in our authour, a thing put into form or method: fo informal, out of method, ill VOL. I. concerted. How easy is it to say, that Shakespear might better have wrote informing, i. e. accufing. But he who (as the Oxford Editor) thinks he did write fo, knows nothing of the character of his file. WARBURTON. I believe informal has no other or deeper fignification than infarming, accufing. The Scope of juftice, is the full extent. Bb And And punish them unto your height of pleasure. Tho' they would fwear down each particular Saint, Peter. Would he were here, my lord; for he indeed, Hath fet the women on to this complaint. Your Provost knows the place, where he abides; Duke. Go, do it instantly, And you, my noble and well-warranted coufin, Will leave you: ftir not you, 'till you have well [Exit Efcal. My lord, we'll do it throughly. Signior Lucio, did not you fay, you knew that Friar Lodowick to be a difhoneft perfon? Lucio. Cucullus non fecit monachum; honest in nothing, but in his cloaths; and one that has spoke most villainous fpeeches of the Duke. Efcal. We fhall intreat you to abide here 'till he come, and inforce them against him; we shall find this Friar a notable fellow. 2 That's jeal'd in approbation.] When any thing fubject to counterfeits is tried by the proper of ficers and approved, a ftamp or Jeal is put upon it, as among us on plate, weights and cafures and feal'd in teftimony of that approbation, and, like other things fo fealed, is no more to be called in question. 3 to hear this matter forth To hear it to the end; So the Duke fays that Angelo's to fearch it to the bottom. faith has been tried, approved Lucio. As any in Vienna, on my word. Efe . Call that fame fabel here once again; I would speak with her: pray you, my lord, give me leave to queftion; you fall fee how I'll handle her. Lucio. Not better than he, by her own report. Efcal. Say you? Lucio. Marry, Sir, I think, if you handled her privately, the fhould fooner confefs; perchance, publickly fhe'll be asham'd. Enter Duke in the Friar's babit, and Provost. Isabella is brought in. Efcal. I will go darkly to work with her. Lucio. That's the way; for women are light at midnight. Ecal. Come on, miftrefs: here's a gentlewoman denies all that you have faid. Lucio. My lord, here comes the rafcal I spoke of, here with the Provoft. Escal. In very good time-speak not you to him, 'till we call upon you. Lucio. Mum Efcal. Come, Sir, did you fet these women on to flander lord Angelo? they have confefs'd you did. Duke. 'Tis falfe. Efcal. How? know you where you are? Duke. Refpect to your great Place !and let the devil Be fometime honour'd for his burning throne. Look, you fpeak justly. Duke. Boldly, at leaft. But oh, poor fouls, Come you to feek the lamb here of the fox? Good night to your redress: is the Duke gone? Then is Lucio. This is the rafcal, this is he I spoke of. To call him villain; And then to glance from him to th' Duke himself, Duke. Be not fo hot; the duke dare no more stretch Nor here provincial; 5 my business in this state Where I have feen corruption boil and bubble, 4 - to retort your manifeft appeal To refer back to Angelo the caufe in which you appealed from Angelo to the Duke. Nor bere provincial.] Nor here accountable. The meaning feems to be, I am not one of his natural fubjects, nor of any dependent province. 6 Stands Ike the forfeits in a barber's fhop.] Barbers fhops were, at all times, the refort of idle people. Touftrina erat quædam : hic fo- As Which Donatus calls apta fedes aticfis. Formerly, with us, the better fort of people went to the Barber's fhop to be trimm'd; who then practifed the under parts of Surgery: fo that he had occafion for numerous inftruments, which lay there ready for ufe; and the idle people, with whom his fhop was generally crowded, would be perpetually handling and mifufing them. To remedy which, I fuppofe, there was placed up against the wall a table of forfeitures, adapted to every offence of this kind; which, it |